Many contemporary authors are worried about having a Facebook page, but most writers don't reveal how the bookselling strategy worked.

Today Publishers Weekly launched a special "viral edition" of the publishing magazine, looking at how literary types can leverage the networking possibilities of the Internet, from Facebook widgets to good old fashioned blogs. The cover story was an essay by journalist Adam Penenberg entitled, "The Viral Loop." The essay contained a frank look at how a Facebook application worked for his new book, "Viral Loop: From Facebook to Twitter, How Today's Smartest Businesses Grow Themselves."

Here's an excerpt from the article: "So far, a small percentage of users have clicked on the 'buy the book' tab to order it pre-pub. Thousands more, however, are being made aware of it. As the old publishing saying goes, if seven people hear the title of a book, they are more likely to buy it. As the widget spreads--we are on pace to amass 10,000 users within two months of launch--we hope to 'own' the term 'viral loop.'"